World Polio Day

World Polio Day is observed on 24 October each year to honour the birthday of Dr Jonas Salk, who led the first successful team to develop a polio vaccine, and to highlight the global campaign to eradicate polio. Poliomyelitis (polio) is a viral infection that mainly affects children under five years of age. The virus spreads through contaminated water, food or hands and multiplies in the intestine. In some cases, it invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis, usually of the legs, and sometimes even death if the breathing muscles are affected.

Why it matters

Before vaccines were introduced, polio outbreaks caused fear and disability in many countries, paralysing or killing hundreds of thousands of children every year. There is no cure for polio once paralysis occurs; treatment can only provide supportive care. However, safe and effective vaccines can prevent infection and protect children for life. This makes vaccination the central pillar of the fight against polio.

World Polio Day reminds governments, health workers, parents and communities that the job is not finished until polio is eradicated everywhere. As long as the poliovirus exists in any part of the world, all countries remain at risk because the virus can travel across borders through people’s movement. High immunisation coverage, strong surveillance for sudden paralysis (acute flaccid paralysis) and rapid response to any detected virus are essential to finally end polio.

History

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched in 1988 by national governments, the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), later joined by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other partners. At that time, polio paralysed hundreds of thousands of children every year worldwide.

Since then, concerted vaccination campaigns using oral polio vaccine (OPV) and, more recently, inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) have led to a dramatic reduction in polio cases by more than 99 percent globally. Many regions of the world have been certified polio‑free, but a few countries have continued to report cases of wild poliovirus or vaccine‑derived poliovirus where immunisation coverage is low.

World Polio Day is used by global and national partners to share progress, challenges and stories of frontline health workers. Campaigns often highlight messages such as “End Polio Now”, “One Day, One Focus: Ending Polio” and the need for sustained political commitment and community participation.

Key facts

In Bangladesh

Bangladesh has been recognised as free of wild poliovirus for many years, thanks to strong routine immunisation and repeated National Immunization Days (NIDs) where millions of children received oral polio vaccine drops. The Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) includes polio vaccines as part of the routine schedule, and health workers and volunteers have played a crucial role in reaching children in remote villages, char areas and urban slums.

On World Polio Day, government agencies, EPI teams, paediatricians, public health experts and NGOs in Bangladesh organise awareness events, rallies, media programmes and special vaccination drives where needed. Messages focus on ensuring that every child receives all recommended doses of polio vaccine, including both OPV and IPV, and on reassuring parents that the vaccines are safe and essential for preventing paralysis.

The day also highlights the importance of continuing surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis, improving sanitation and hygiene and maintaining strong political and financial commitment so that polio does not return. For Bangladesh, World Polio Day is both a celebration of past success and a reminder that protecting children from preventable diseases like polio depends on sustained vaccination and community cooperation.